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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26733151">Making Right</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarpaddle/pseuds/lunarpaddle'>lunarpaddle</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Arrow (TV 2012), Batman (Comics), DCU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:53:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,624</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26733151</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarpaddle/pseuds/lunarpaddle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I know this is not the kind of affair typically undertaken by those such as yourself,” Nyssa continues, words stilted, “hence why I have not contacted the others about it, either. I know that you have no personal stake in this as I have, and I cannot expect you to help me with such matters, but I – “</p><p>“Nyssa,” Dinah chokes out, “of course I’ll help. I – fuck, I know I’m not like, anyone’s first pick for hero, but that – I know what you mean, about unlearning. No kid deserves to deal with all this shit, all this – all this weight on their soul.”</p><p>---</p><p>Dinah Laurel Lance is the sole remnant of an entire universe, and she's at a loss for her purpose in this one. Nyssa al Ghul remembers a life her sister does not, and her newly existent nephew is in the care of a woman that does not remember her own redemption. Between them, perhaps they can manage to fix both of their problems, and fix some more things too, whilst they're at it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Earth-2 Laurel Lance &amp; Cassandra Cain, Earth-2 Laurel Lance &amp; Damian Wayne, Nyssa al Ghul &amp; Cassandra Cain, Nyssa al Ghul &amp; Damian Wayne, Nyssa al Ghul/Earth-2 Laurel Lance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dinah doesn't really know what she's supposed to be doing, right now.</p><p>Her world is gone – she's the lone survivor of an entire dimension, and there's no Promethean Green Arrow to go back and work with. </p><p>Drake is gone to who knows where, the closest she’d had to a partner on this earth, and she is very carefully not thinking too much about her feelings on <i>that</i>.</p><p>Oliver is gone, and so is the Star City she’d known – there is no more mission, no more need for a Black Canary here.</p><p>Her dad isn’t gone anymore, and that's fucking spectacular (every time she saw him, she made sure to spend as long hugging him as possible, despite the odd looks from people who knew she wasn’t at all the hugging type), but it doesn’t exactly give her a purpose.</p><p>Dinah doesn't really know what she's supposed to be doing, right now, so she just patrols the city anyway – familiar routes, familiar tasks, and not a hint of violence to be broken up or crime to be stopped. The most she’d had to deal with was stopping a purse-snatching, and the thief had been a <i>kid</i> – he’d apologised in tears, and she’d taken him home and talked to his lovely, understanding parents who promised to arrange for him to see someone about his kleptomania.</p><p>All this was to say that finding Nyssa Al Ghul in the middle of a frantic sword fight with a whole host of masked assailants is the most interesting thing that's happened to her in ages, so of course she leaps right in, fighting with reinforced gauntlets and martial arts instead of her cry just for the thrill of it. She loses herself in the rhythm and physicality in it all, reveling in getting to do something with her body like this again, and only a minute or so later they're done -  heart pumping, attackers strewn unconscious across the alley, and Nyssa staring at her like she’d seen a ghost.</p><p>It's a familiar look to Dinah, even these days. Her dad aside, people just… never stopped seeing Laurel.</p><p>“Are these guys, fucking, League of Assassins? What’s even the deal with them in this timeline, didn’t Oliver fuck their shit up this time around?” She tended to inject a lot more cussing into her speech these days – not that she didn’t swear much before, but a good bout of filth coming out of her mouth tended to remind people of who she actually was.</p><p>Nyssa stares at her briefly nonetheless, before sheathing her sword and speaking.</p><p>“Talia has attempted to resurrect the League in this world as in the last. Unfortunately, our allies have not seen fit to restore her memories to her despite my requests, so she remains… aggressive.”</p><p>“Oh. So you’ve gotta fight your sister now then? That, uh, that sucks.” Dinah has no fucking clue what she's trying to do here, but she really doesn't want the first interesting thing to happen to her in months to leave.</p><p>“I suppose you would know something of it, Siren.” Eugh. She kinda hates that name, these days.</p><p>“Not really, actually – I mean, Sara here was always a bit busy with all that time travel shit to come help the gang beat me up, and my Sara wasn’t – I dunno, she wasn’t really the fighting type. More likely to yell at me over the phone about my villainous activities.”</p><p>Nyssa just stares at her again, which, right, bringing up her long lost love probably hadn’t been the best call.</p><p>“You – your Sara is gone now, I suppose?” Nyssa’s words make her stomach twist – her sister being dead was one on a long list of things that she was pointedly not thinking about.</p><p>“I – yeah. Along with the rest of my earth.” She tries to laugh, but it comes out dry and twisted. </p><p>“I am sorry.” Nyssa speaks softly, sombre tone putting an end to her attempt at levity. They stand there in awkward silence till Dinah remembers what brought them both here in the first place.</p><p>“Right, so, this whole League thing – do you need any help with that or anything? I don’t exactly have much to do here these days, so I’m like, free and all that.”</p><p>“You are offering your assistance on a mission that you do not even know the details of?”</p><p>“Well, isn’t it just like, beat up these assholes and get your sister to stop being a jerk?” Dinah gives one of the unconscious lackeys a light kick.</p><p>“It…” Nyssa sighs, looking around. “Is there somewhere nearby we could speak safely? This shall require some explaining.”</p><p>Dinah grins widely.</p><p>---</p><p>“Nyssa!” Quentin’s voice booms out as warm as ever. “It’s been too long honey, how have you been? Oh come in, come in, do you want anything to drink?”</p><p>Nyssa squirms a little in the tight hug she receives, glaring at Dinah.</p><p>“I will be alright, thank you. Me and the Siren merely require a place to talk privately about some delicate matters.” Nyssa’s tone curls with disgust just a little over her old alias, and Dinah shivers. Nothing she hasn’t earned, she supposes.</p><p>Quentin frowns, though.</p><p>“Her name’s Dinah, Nyssa, and I’ll thank you to be polite with her. I know she looks like our Laurel, but she’s not, alright?” Their Laurel? Dinah hadn’t known that Nyssa had been close with her Earth-1 incarnation, but it made sense – the only other people who looked at her like Nyssa were Felicity and Oliver.</p><p>Well, not Oliver anymore.</p><p>“I – I apologise, Quentin,” says Nyssa, looking chastised. “To you as well, Dinah. I was quite close with Laurel, but the grief of losing her is no reason to be cruel.” </p><p>Dinah feels a little lost at that, but she tries to take it in her stride.</p><p>“No big deal. Gotten a lot worse than that from some people – can’t say I didn’t deserve it.”</p><p>“Perhaps,” Nyssa replies, “but you do not deserve it now, so I shall endeavour to do better.”</p><p>“Right,” Dinah says, feeling even more lost than before. “So, uh, this whole mission thing.”</p><p>Nyssa’s shoulders sag a bit, and Quentin looks concerned.</p><p>“Ah. Well, simply put,” Nyssa stares down at the floor, before taking a deep breath. “It would appear that in this reality, I have a nephew.”</p><p>The room fell silent.</p><p>“This would not normally be a problem, merely a shock, however – as I mentioned to Dinah earlier, the Talia of this reality is significantly more unstable, and more cruel. It would appear she stole genetic material from the Bat of this world, and created the child without his consent.”</p><p>“Wait, your sister had a kid with the fucking Batman?” Jesus, that was – that was just too weird. Batman wasn’t even – she couldn’t even imagine him as like, a human man capable of procreation, he was just this shadowy terrifying figure people told scary stories about.</p><p>“More or less,” Nyssa replies. “She has taken to raising the child much as we were raised by Ra’s. This – This is,” she falters, collapsing down on the sofa. “I have come to realise, in recent years, that the way I was raised was not at all acceptable. I have spent much time trying to unlearn what I was taught, to become a better person, a person capable of creating happiness both within and outside of herself. I do not wish Damian to have to go through the same thing, any more than he might already have had to.”</p><p>Well, shit. Quentin goes to take a seat next to Nyssa, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and Dinah just stands there thinking, well, shit. </p><p>“I know this is not the kind of affair typically undertaken by those such as yourself,” Nyssa continues, words stilted, “hence why I have not contacted the others about it, either. I know that you have no personal stake in this as I have, and I cannot expect you to help me with such matters, but I – “</p><p>“Nyssa,” Dinah chokes out, “of course I’ll help. I – fuck, I know I’m not like, anyone’s first pick for hero, but that – I know what you mean, about unlearning. No kid deserves to deal with all this shit, all this – all this weight on their soul.”</p><p>Nyssa smiles, full of warmth despite the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.</p><p>“You are different in many ways from the Laurel I knew, Dinah, but I must say – you both share the same unyielding capacity for kindness.” </p><p>Dinah doesn’t really know how to feel about that, so she just smiles back.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The jet they were currently travelling in was a fancy thing – spacious interior, well decorated, flying just below Mach 1 across the Atlantic Ocean. In retrospect Dinah should have realised that Nyssa would have access to more sophisticated methods of travel than flying commercial, but this was really something else. It suited her.</p><p>“Sure beats queuing at an airport,” Dinah had remarked earlier, only for Nyssa to blush a little in embarrassment.</p><p>“I, ah,” she had stumbled uncharacteristically over her words, “I am on a number of security lists at many airports, Star City included. There was an… incident, a while back. Suffice to say, I am not likely to get away with travelling that way again.”</p><p>Dinah forgot, sometimes, that Nyssa used to be an assassin. She wondered if Nyssa ever forgot that Dinah used to be a supervillain.</p><p>Before them where they were seated now was a detailed layout of the League stronghold Nyssa believed Talia to be currently located at, all clearly hand drawn by Nyssa herself to a level of detail Dinah found astonishing.</p><p>“The main problem shall be getting in at all – the entire compound is heavily reinforced, and the main entrance is particularly well guarded. I do not think even we would be able to fight our way through,” Nyssa says, fingers gliding across the map to point out key locations.</p><p>“I mean,” Dinah hums, “how are we feeling about, uh, casualties? Because it looks like you could take out this entire entrance section pretty easily without harming the structural integrity of the stuff below, and then we’d just have to get into the lower levels.”</p><p>“You are suggesting we use explosives? A viable plan, I suppose, but I know neither where we would get such a quantity of them nor how we would plant them.”</p><p>“Oh,” Dinah replies, scratching the back of her neck, “no, I – I mean, I could just, you know. Scream.”</p><p>Nyssa’s gaze jerks up to hers, eyes widening.</p><p>“You could collapse the entire upper level just with your cry?” </p><p>“Probably, yeah. Wouldn’t be the biggest building I’ve taken down.” That would be the Lex Corp research facility in Star City, Earth-2. Some kind of replicating techno-virus shit had been set loose there as a distraction by the Archer, and she’d ended up pushing her scream as far as it could go as a last resort.</p><p>It had destroyed the lab, and an entire (thankfully empty) warehouse behind the lab too. The whole thing had made her pretty grateful she’d never pushed herself like that back when she had less qualms about killing innocents.</p><p>Nyssa laughs, low and surprised, before looking back down to the map. </p><p>“That simplifies things, then. I doubt my sister will have prepared for that particular eventuality. I assume your cry would also be able to clear a path to the lower levels afterwards?”</p><p>Dinah grins and replies, and they dig into the work of planning themselves an extraction.</p><p>---</p><p>They land not far from the complex, on the reasoning that the more guards are reassigned up into the surface building in preparation for an attack the better, but Dinah is glad of it for entirely more selfish reasons as they step off the jet and into the blazing heat.</p><p>Nyssa gives her a wry look, and she resolves to change the topic before she has to face any mockery.</p><p>“So, what’s the plan if the kid doesn’t wanna come? I mean, he’s grown up there, and he’s what – 11? That’s old enough to know what’s going on and object, right?”</p><p>“There shall hardly be much of a League for him to remain with once we incapacitate and capture my sister,” Nyssa says with an air of confidence that Dinah envies, “but that aside, I have been made aware that he has been particularly upset with his mother lately, as he wishes to meet his father and take up his role as Heir to the Bat. As we are planning to return him to Gotham and fulfil that very wish, I cannot imagine he will be particularly resistant to our plans.” </p><p>“Huh,” Dinah replies, kicking up some sand as she walks. “Is Batman gonna be any better of a parent than Talia, though? I mean, doesn’t he work with kid sidekicks? Doesn’t sound like a healthy upbringing to me.”</p><p>Nyssa’s shoulders slump, and Dinah immediately feels bad. She really needed to get better at thinking before she spoke.</p><p>“I see your point, but I also do not see a better option. I can not imagine that Damian will be content to live the life of an ordinary child at this point in his upbringing – I certainly would not have been – and all things being equal, I would rather he is at least raised by someone with a sense of morality and a distaste for killing.” Nyssa looked over to her, eyes full of worry. “I have considered raising the child myself, of course, but I… I do not think myself a particularly good role model, to be quite honest. Not yet.”</p><p>Dinah almost objected, before realising she had no real grounds to – she had known this woman for all of what, a day? And it wasn’t like she didn’t understand the feeling – for all her progress, she still wouldn’t trust herself with that kind of responsibility.</p><p>“For what it’s worth,” she ends up saying, “when I went back to Earth-2 and started – well, started trying to be a hero – my Sara, she let me back into her life pretty quickly for some fucking reason, and when I asked her why she’d let someone like me be around her kid she said that, uh. That she was glad that her kid had someone like me in her life, because she was bound to make mistakes, but I was living proof that there was no mistake so big it couldn’t be made up for.”</p>

<p>They walk in silence after that, the shape of the compound slowly growing more coherent on the horizon, till they stood at the gates.</p><p>“Thank you, Dinah,” Nyssa says, “for your words of comfort, and for your help in this matter. It means a great deal.”</p><p>“Any time,” Dinah replies, feeling a warmth in her chest that’s been missing ever since her world evaporated, “now, shall we blow some shit up?”</p><p>Nyssa nods, the guards draw their swords, and Dinah <i>screams</i>.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The problem with using her powers like that was that it more or less blew them out, at least for a little while. She thinks she’s doing pretty well for herself nonetheless – Nyssa has long since drawn her blades and begun cutting a swath through their enemies, but Dinah sticks to her fists, focusing on taking down any of the more formidable looking fighters that approach. It’s reminiscent of the way that she and Sandra had fought together back on Earth-2, in a bittersweet kind of way – that pain, at least, was one she’d come to terms with.</p><p>Dinah was strangely grateful that Shiva had been dead long before her world turned to dust – she would have hated dying to something she couldn’t even hit.</p><p>“Those are my sisters chambers,” Nyssa calls out as they approach the end of the corridor, “There will doubtless be many of her most skilled warriors waiting – “</p><p>A deep cackle echoes down the hallway from behind them, and Dinah spins to see a man she’d quite frankly hoped never to see again. </p><p>“Think again, Sister of the Demon,” yells David Cain. “Her most skilled warriors are right here.”</p><p>Warriors pour out of Talia’s chambers, forming a half circle around them in one direction as Cain advances from the other.</p><p>“Nyssa, you take Talia and her goons,” Dinah says, not taking her eyes off of Cain for a second. “Cain’s mine.”</p><p>“You are sure?” Nyssa replies. “I’m not sure I would feel so confident, taking him on.”</p><p>“I’ve beaten his ass before,” Dinah says, risking a glance behind her at Nyssa, “In a different life.”</p><p>Nyssa <i>grins</i>, cocky and self-assured and wonderful, and nods.</p><p>“I suppose let’s get to it, then.”</p><p>Behind her Nyssa flows into the fray, elegant and poised and everything Dinah is sure her own fight is not going to be as she uses what little energy she has remaining for her cry to let out a disorienting blast, using the distraction to sprint towards Cain and tackle him to the ground.</p><p>He grunts and goes to speak as he flips her off of him and further down the corridor, but she doesn’t let him, aiming a well-placed high kick at his jaw that forces him to take a step back.</p><p>“You fight fancy, little girl,” he growls, retaliating with a flurry of blows that forces her back down the corridor in turn, away from Talia’s chambers and away from Nyssa. “That Shiva bitch take a student none of the rest of us know about?”</p><p>Dinah sees red.</p><p>“You don’t get to say her <i>fucking</i> name,” she spits, spinning them both around and smashing his head through the door behind them. “I am going to beat your pathetic, shrivelled up old body into the fucking stones, you piece of <i>shit</i>!” </p><p>She punctuates the last word with a shove, sending both Cain and the door flying back into the next room.</p><p>“You know,” he rasps, “I haven’t got a clue why you’re so pissed at me, but I do think you might actually be able to follow through on that.”</p><p>She cracks her knuckles and advances.</p><p>“Lucky for me,” he coughs, and she realises his eyes are focused somewhere behind her just a second too late, “I’m not the one you’ve gotta fight.”</p><p>A kick to the centre of her back sends her sprawling, but she turns it into a roll, pushes herself back up just in time to block a powerful jab to her face, and stares right into a child’s face.</p><p>A child’s face with Sandra’s eyes.</p><p>
  <i>Shit.</i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>2 years ago</i>
</p>
<p>Sandra guides Dinah’s hand up to her neck, carefully placing each of Dinah’s fingers in turn.</p>
<p>“Like this, you see? You keep letting your middle finger drift too high, and at that point you might as well just be punching them in the neck.”</p>
<p>“Punching people in the neck is rather effective, in my experience.” Dinah drawls, trying to tear her gaze away from Sandra’s eyes as she rolls them.</p>
<p>“But not as effective as this technique, Canary.” Sandra replies, but she’s smiling, and Dinah lets her hand float up to cup Sandra’s cheek.</p>
<p>“Well, <i>Shiva</i>, I bet I know an even more effective technique for incapacitating you,” Dinah says, drawing an even more exaggerated eye roll from Sandra as they come together for a brief kiss.</p>
<p>“Wait, before you distract me,” Sandra pulls back a little, “Cain came by again today. Same thing as before.”</p>
<p>“Jesus fucking Christ,” Dinah bites out, “Can he not take no for a fucking answer? I mean, you’d expect a world-class hero to have a little more respect for fucking consent.”</p>
<p>Sandra laughs and it makes Dinah’s insides light up, warm and fluttery.</p>
<p>“Quite. I don’t think much of his scheme besides – the whole thing smacks of eugenics to me, breeding the perfect hero, and I’d have no part of it even if I weren’t in a committed relationship.”</p>
<p>Dinah grins, and pulls her partner in for a hug. She’d never expected to find this, coming back to this world, but she’d always be grateful for it.</p>
<p>“You know,” Sandra remarks after a minute or so of standing there in each other’s embrace, “This whole situation has made me think, and I do not think I would be opposed to having a child with you, some day.”</p>
<p>“You – what?” Dinah exclaims, pulling back and prompting an amused noise from Sandra.</p>
<p>“Calm down, darling, I don’t mean any time soon – a year of being together is hardly enough for such things. Just that – well, I’ve seen you with your niece, you know. I think you’d make a wonderful mother.”</p>
<p>“I’m not sure, babe,” Dinah chokes out. “I mean, I’m – well, you know. Maybe someday, I guess.”</p>
<p>Sandra catches Dinah’s hands in her own and squeezes them, smiling.</p>
<p>“Maybe someday.”</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>
  <i>Now</i>
</p>
<p>Dinah feels like her entire fucking world has been turned upside down, which it kinda has, but the pieces fall right into place anyway. Somehow, in this world, Cain’s plan had worked. This was Sandra’s kid.</p>
<p>“I – fuck, kid, I’m not going to fight you – “ the kid’s foot catches her across the side of the face, and she barely manages to dodge back away from the fist that follows it. Jesus, to be this good at this age, Cain must have been training her since – fuck, Dinah wanted to throw up, this was too fucked up – </p>
<p>The kid doesn’t let up, throwing punch after kick after punch till Dinah is pressed up against the wall, barely able to breathe.</p>
<p>“Kid, please – you don’t have to do what this fucker says, I can get you out of here – “</p>
<p>“Cassandra here can’t understand you,” Cain calls out from across the room. “She’s the perfect weapon – never taught a word of any spoken language, perfectly tuned to the language of the body instead. The One Above All, we’ve been calling her.”</p>
<p>Dinah is sorely tempted to actually kill Cain this time – no prison was hell enough for the bastard.</p>
<p>“Alright,” she says as Cassandra stands back, awaiting further orders. “You only understand body language? Let’s try this.”</p>
<p>Dinah takes off her gauntlets, revealing fists bruised blue and brown from the last hour of fighting. She kneels down on the floor, putting her eyes at a level with the kid’s, and places the gauntlets gently down in front of her.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to hurt you, Cassandra. I don’t know what happened to your mother in this world, but – you know what, that doesn’t even matter. You could be fucking, the Anti-Monitor’s kid or some shit, and I still wouldn’t hurt you. You’re a child, and you deserve so much better than any of this bulllshit.”</p>
<p>For a moment, the world is still, the only sounds the ongoing battle from Talia’s quarters. Cassandra’s face is the same emotionless mask it has been for the entire fight, until – </p>
<p>The sound of Cassandra’s gauntlets falling to the floor seems deafening, after the silence, and Cain scoffs, spitting on the floor.</p>
<p>“Disgusting. Clearly, you’re not as ready as I thought you were – that will have to be rectified, I suppose. Till then – “ Cain pulls a gun out and levels it at Dinah’s head, but in the space of a breath Cassandra is across the room, knocking the gun out of his hand with her first kick and slamming his head into the wall with her second.</p>
<p>“Damn,” Dinah says as Cain’s body slumps to the floor, unconscious. “Um. Thanks, I guess? I know you have no clue what I’m saying, but I hope it comes across in my body language or something.”</p>
<p>Cassandra runs over to her as she gets to her feet, grabbing one hand and tugging impatiently in the direction of Talia’s quarters.</p>
<p>“You – oh shit, you probably know Nyssa’s nephew, right?” She says as they make their way down the corridor, stepping over unconscious bodies and corpses alike. “I mean, I’m not exactly comfortable with you getting involved in helping us fight Talia, but it’s not like I have any way of communicating that to you right now, so – “ Cassandra bursts through the door, and she follows the kid in.</p>
<p>The room is somehow even more littered with black-clad bodies than the hallway, and in the middle of it all is Nyssa, in the process of restraining an unconscious Talia, eyes full of fire despite the wounds littering her upper body. In the corner is, presumably, Damian – despite his best efforts to look unbothered, he’s clearly scared, and looks relieved when he sees them enter.</p>
<p>“Cassandra, just in time – my aunt has taken leave of her senses, and is clearly trying to take the role of Demon’s Head for herself – “</p>
<p>Dinah can’t help but snort. </p>
<p>“We’re not here to take control of the League, kid. We’re here for you.”</p>
<p>“For…me?” Damian looks slightly shellshocked.</p>
<p>“I had heard, nephew, that you desired to meet your father, and become more acquainted with that side of your heritage. I am inclined to help you achieve that, considering that <i>nobody</i>,” Nyssa cinches the final knot in Talia’s bindings particularly harshly, “deserves to be raised in the way that your mother and I were raised. Besides which, it is her that has taken leave of her sense, not I – We shall be taking her somewhere safe, until we can restore to her what she has lost.”</p>
<p>Cassandra walks over to Damian, and takes his hands in hers, looking meaningfully back towards Dinah.</p>
<p>“She helped you take out Cain? I – I must admit,” he says, turning to Nyssa, “Whilst I do not think your accusations of mistreatment from my mother are at all accurate, the way Cain treated Cassandra was... unacceptable, and I did not at all understand why my mother allowed it to continue.”</p>
<p>“As I said, Damian, she is – she is missing some of her memories, as it were, and I believe once we are able to return them to her she shall be much more understanding.”</p>
<p>Damian looks downcast at this, looking around the room before stepping forward, still keeping one of Cassandra’s hands in his own.</p>
<p>“You intend to deliver me to Batman, you said? I suppose that there is no harm in me being in his custody, for a brief while. You – you will bring Cassandra with us too, yes? I don’t – I would like it if – I think she would also benefit from such tutelage.”</p>
<p>Dinah makes eye contact with Nyssa, and she can tell that she’s having as much trouble keeping herself from smiling as Dinah is.</p>
<p>“It’s complicated, but I have some history with Cassandra’s mother – I’m invested in making sure she’s okay, same as Nyssa is with you.” She sees Damian relax at that, but in the corner of her eye she sees Nyssa’s eyes widen – right, she wasn’t there for the whole, vaguely devastating revelation about who this kid was. Not that she’d really told anyone here about Sandra besides.</p>
<p>“Well… I suppose that shall be sufficient, then. So long as I am returned to my mother’s custody as soon as she is herself again.” Cassandra clearly picks up on his agreement and pulls him into an excited hug, which he clearly can’t quite bring himself to appear annoyed by, and begins dragging him out of the door.</p>
<p>“So,” Nyssa says, lifting her sister’s body in her arms. “I see you somehow managed to acquire a second child, whilst you were at it.”</p>
<p>“Something like that,” Dinah laughs. “Come on, you need patching up pretty badly. Guess that says something about which of us is the better fighter.” </p>
<p>Nyssa rolls her eyes but follows nonetheless, and they make their way back to the surface, bruised, bloody, but alive.</p>
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